Back in January, Wack 100 gave the news that DJ Kay Slay had COVID-19 and was fighting for his life.
But later Slay's brother, Kwame Grayson, said the veteran New York DJ was improving and was going to pull through.
Sadly, that wasn't the case and Slay passed away from COVID-19 complications, which was reported on Sunday, April 17. He was 55 years old.
"Hip Hop lost a real gem,” veteran New York promoter Van Silk told HipHopDX. “My dear brother is gone. I’ve known him since he was 16 years old. He was my little brother. I introduced him to many and we did a lot of things together. We last talked December because we were finishing up the 200 rolling deep project. He was gonna do his video part with MC Sha-Rock."
“From the mixtapes to helping him launch Straight Stuntin‘ magazine and the whole What The Science project, the world not only lost a real dedicated person to the culture of Hip Hop but a source of bridging the gap in Hip Hop. I’m gonna miss my little brother," added Silk.
Many others also reacted to the tragic news.
R.I.P. DJ KAY SLAY!!!! WORDS CANNOT DESCRIBE HOW MUCH OF A LEGEND HE WAS AND WHAT HE MEANT TO OUR CULTURE!!!! 💔💔💔💔💔💔
— Termanology (@TermanologyST) April 18, 2022
Can’t believe I’m typing this. Rest in power DJ Kay Slay. Legend. Fuck! https://t.co/bljTndeQ90
— Statik Selektah (@StatikSelekt) April 18, 2022
Rest Easy King Dez aka Spade TDS aka DJ Kay Slay a legend in two games: graffiti and DJaying.
— Dante Ross (@DanteRoss) April 18, 2022
F Covid. Rest In Power 👑
Rest in peace, Slay.